Man arrested for charging iPhone on London train

A 45-year old man from Camden has been arrested for charging his iPhone on a London Overground train.

The incident, which took place on 10 July, saw Robin Lee arrested and then promptly "de-arrested" for the offence, which officers described as "abstracting electricity". He was then "further arrested" for unacceptable behaviour after he reportedly became aggressive towards a police community support officer (PCSO).

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Sockets on London Overground trains are marked clearly as for use by cleaners only. Lee posted an image of his custody record on Twitter, with the reason for arrest stating "abstracting electricity phone charger on phone. Unacceptable behaviour".

Lee used Twitter to contact several London-based news organisations about his plight, but promptly deleted the posts earlier this afternoon. Photos Lee posted of his custody record have also now been deleted.

The amount of electricity Lee abstracted is likely to be small -- the cost of keeping an iPhone fully-charged for a year is less than £1.

A British Transport Police spokesperson told the Evening Standard that officers were called to Camden Road station after Lee became "aggressive" towards a PCSO when challenged about his use of a plug socket on an Overground train.

Police will review Lee's behaviour before sending details to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will decide if charges should be brought.